Mr. Chibisa v Circle Health Group Ltd — 2026

Mr Chibisa did not attend the further case management preliminary hearing on 25 June 2026. Tribunal staff telephoned him twice, but the calls went to voicemail, and also emailed him without receiving a reply. The respondent's representative reported that there had been no contact with him since the previous hearing.

The hearing had been arranged principally to clarify the issues and set directions. Mr Chibisa had been ordered to comment on the revised draft list of issues within 14 days of receiving it, but he did not respond or provide those comments. The Tribunal's portal and email inbox showed no contact from him since the previous hearing.

Employment Judge Cawthray considered that arranging another preliminary hearing would cause the respondent prejudice, additional cost and further delay. In the absence of a reasonable explanation for Mr Chibisa's non-attendance, and noting his failure to comply with the Tribunal's orders, the Tribunal dismissed the claim under Rule 47 of the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024. The unfair dismissal and whistleblowing claims were therefore dismissed without determination of their substantive merits. The judge added that, had the claim not been dismissed under Rule 47, she would have been minded to strike it out under Rule 37 because it had not been actively pursued and Tribunal orders had not been complied with. No monetary remedy was awarded or addressed.